Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-11-10
In THE ASTOR LIBRARY.
QUEER PEOPLE WHO PASS THEIR
DAYS AMONG THE BOOKS.

| Habitues as Peculiar as the Ouaipt
Volumes Upon the SheIves-A Couple
of Cranks-Gobbling the Magazines
Various Frequenters.
The habitues of the Astor library are. some
OF them, as peculiar as the quaint volumes
upon the shelves. | do not mean the men
who rush in and look into book for an hour
and then rush out again to the hustle of city
| life. But they, too, have their counterparts
In books, in fact, all of US have. 1t is plea
| SAINT enough to sit at one of the tables with a
not too interesting book before you, now
looking at its printed pages and now at the
varied crowd around. Do you not see re-
semblances! For instance, the rusty old gen.
| tleman over there with the pallid face, the
| convex spectacles and the shiny black suit of
| old fashioned cut might be compared to one
of the dusty, musty tones in the top shelves
that are more carefully preserved than he.
| Then again that fashy red covered novel
| which went through five editions in as many
weeks might be thought of in connection
| with the loud talking, dawdy looking woman
| who sits at the next table, while the dainty,
| low voiced girl who sits near her reminds one
| instinctively of one of Thomas Bailey Aid
richs idyls. Thus you might go on until you
found shadow of every one of this curiously
assorted yet withal congenial company.
A COUPLE OF CRANKs.
| Opposite me at the table where l usually
read, and where l now write, sits a quaint
and cranky couple. At least one of them is
| quaint and the other cranky. The first is a
shabby genteel man, who reads dingy, dog
! cared books that are themselves shabby
| genteel When enter the library at 10 o'clock
every morning he is there, and when l leave
late in the afternoon he still sits in his chair,
hardly having moved his position all day.
| Sometimes | stay until the library is closed
| for the night, and then he leaves the big room
| like man who knows not where to go for
| resting place. There he sits all day as close
| to the table as possible, in order, no doubt, to
| conceal the lack of buttons on his coat. Un-
| der the table his old silk hat is carefully de-
| posted with penny morning paper and a
parcel peeping over the tattered rim. If I
happen to be there about o'clock l will see
him munching something which l have re-
| Gently discovered is bread. He does not take
| it out Of his pocket, where he has stealthily
| conveyed it from the hat, like a man who
knew he was eating a midday luncheon but
breaks off little bits in his pocket and carries
| them to his mouth as if fearing discovery.
He knows only too well, perhaps, that he is
dining.
| Ny other opposite is not unlike the shabby
| genteel person i'll general characteristics,
though he seems better fed. His apparel,
however does not show the scrupulous care
Of the other He generally comes in after I
have arrived, and so have ample opportu-
nifty to watch his preparations for the DAYS
reading. First, he supplies himself with
dozen volumes of sermons. These he will
carefully arrange about him, and seating
himself he will clasp his hands across his
breast and engage in half audible prayer.
Then he will select his subject, settle down in
q comfortable position, close his eyes and be-
gin the days reading. There he sits all day
long with closed eyes, his face bent intently
over the book with every evidence of intense
interest on his countenance. Whether or not
he is reading will not undertake to say, but
this know, he turns over his pages at regu-
lar intervals and now and then will open his
ewes and take notes with the dullest of
pencils.
GoBBLING THE MAGAZINES.
Besides the antique already described, there
| Is in direct contrast the man of the period
| He does not care for books of past date, but
must have current literature or none at ALL
| His great ambition is to read all the new
magazines. He will get them all at once, and
taking them under his arm seek some retired
alcove, where he will proceed to read them
one after another until he is through with
| them ALL And as he is generally a slow
reader he usually has them in his possession
| all day In the meantime other readers NAV
| come in and want a look at one of the maga-
zines he has, but nothing short of a peremp-
tory demand from an official will induce him
to surrender them, and even then he does it
with very bad grace.
Then there is a man who wants to read
something, but is not quite sure of what he
wants. He looks over the shelves, goes on
forbidden ground, is driven out, and then
gathers lot of books together, which he
brings into the reading room and places be
fore him. He now proceeds to look through
The whole lot, and very likely nothing will
suit him. Doubtless he will end in picking
up the book his neighbor has just finished,
and in a moment is deeply immersed in its
ages.
Another frequenter is the man who always
hants the book you are reading. He passes
behind and sees the title, and then a wild de-
sire to have that volume. arises in him. He
takes a seat opposite you, if possible, picks
up an index. idly turns the pages, and never
takes his eyes off you until, in self defense,
you drop the book or carry it to the libra
rian's table
Then there is the young man who gets hold
Of funny book, and grows purple in his eff
forts to keep from guffawing out loud over
the jokes. Beside him sits the cross grained
person, who never smiles over anything, and
reads book in the same manner that most
people take disagreeable medicine. Nothing
suits him, and not even Wilkins Micawber or
Huckleberry Finn can make his grim jaws
relax into a smie.-New York Commercial
Advertiser.
A Railroad Problem.
The following, called railroad problem,